London, Nov 17: Scientists have unveiled the world’s first universal programmable quantum computer, capable of processing two quantum bits or qubits which store more data than the simple “on” or “off” bits of conventional computing.
But, the test programme has revealed significant hurdles which the scientists claim must be overcome before it is ready for real work, the ‘New Scientist’ reported.
A team, led by the National Institute of Standards and Technology in Colorado, has developed the experimental device which uses beryllium ions to store qubits in the way they spin while the laser-pulse quantum gates perform the simple logic operations on the qubits.
According to the scientists, the trick to making a quantum logic gate is in designing a series of laser pulses that manipulate the beryllium ions in a way which processes information. Another laser then reads off the results of the calculations.
“Once we had demonstrated we could successfully combine lots of components in this way, we ask — what can you do with that?” David Hanneke, who led the team, said.
They found their answer in quantum computational theory. “One of the more interesting results to come out of the early years of quantum information was that you can do any quantum operation on any number of qubits using only single and two-qubit logic gates,” said Hanneke.
Although one and two-qubit gates have been built and used to perform specific algorithms, no one built a device capable of all quantum routines till now.
–Agencies